You Haven't Lost Me Yet
by Kate-Emma
Summary: RO doesn't do emotions, they scare him, mainly because the only time he did them, he lost. Only one person has ever hurt him... so how does RO feel when she reappears? Will he try and get her back in his life?
1. Out Of The Blue

**TITLE: **You Haven't Lost Me Yet**  
CHARACTER/S: **Robert 'RO' Dixon / OC – Kasey 'Danni' Green**  
RATING: **PG**  
SUMMARY: **RO doesn't do friends. RO doesn't do emotions. Except when it matters. Only once has he really had emotions, for one person. So when he thought he lost her he shut those emotions away for what he thought would be forever. So what happens when she reappears?

Chapter One:  
Out Of The Blue

It wasn't easy getting a place on a patrol boat, but being on one at the moment certainly helped his cause. Well, it couldn't hurt it at least. So when Leading Seaman Robert 'RO' Dixon got a call telling him that his application to join one of the Darwin-based patrol boat fleet had been put in the top four he wasn't in the least bit surprised. He also wasn't surprised when they called him and told him to go to Darwin to meet the CO of the Darwin base Coonawarra. However, he was little set-back when they told him he wasn't going alone.

"What do you mean 'top four'?" He asked, speaking one of the CIS' working on base. "Is this some kind of competition?" He'd never heard anything so ridiculus.

The man chuckled. "Not exactly. Look, the CO of the Armidale is well, and eccentric man, but he's a friend to many so he kind of gets away with things. He wants the best CIS in the patrol boat fleet so you're kinda pitted up against others for the job."

RO suddenly regretted applying for the position he'd heard about from the CO. Mike Flynn had suggested his RO, who had been one of the few stable features of the Hammersley since it's inception, take up a lucrative job. The job of CIS on the Armidale with sought by many. The lead ship of the patrol boat fleet with a CO whom many considered the best in the patrol boat area. It also offered the possibility of ranking. Anyway, according to Mike, RO needed to switch it up. Under threat of being given horrid cleaning jobs, RO had applied. Then, as he got closer and closer to being given the job he grew more excited about it. He loved the Hammersley, but he knew to move on would be the best kind of adventure. It was funny how the Hammersley had changed his idea of living, but now he'd learnt all he could from her it was time to move on. What the Armidale would teach him he didn't know yet.

"Okay, I'll play the little game. But can you at least tell me who my competition are." He asked, hoping he could find something to use against them later. What was the world without a little sabotage?

"Just a minute, I have the list here." There was a rustle of papers. "Leading Seaman Dixon, that's you. Leading Seaman Will 'Tank' Wallis. Leading Seaman Kasey 'Danni' Green…" He continued, but RO had stopped listening. Kasey Green? It couldn't be, could it?

"Uh, Leading Seaman Green. She isn't related to Commander Green is she?" He said, asking about the HMAS Coonawarra's CO.

The man grunted. "Yeah that's her." He lowered his voice. "Daddy's girl. She's here at base – I can't stand her."

RO frowned. "Yeah, cool." But he wasn't listening anymore. Kasey Green? Again, after all this time, he'd see her again? He didn't know what to think. "Alright, well, thanks. I'll be there 1400 Friday." He put down the phone then stared at the desk.

* * *

He hadn't liked her one bit when they first met. She was too forward. Too much like his sister. Their first class together, 2H, was a year he wouldn't forget in a hurry. That day, after their small school year had been split into classes of 20, she had walked right up to him in class and introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Kasey. Kasey Green. You're Robert, right?"

The way she held herself and the way she spoke had shocked him right out of his shell. No 7-year-old spoke like that! He'd eventually realised she was still grinning at him, standing there and waiting for him to suggest she sit at the spare table beside him for the rest of the year. But he didn't want her to. Now used to the other kids being put off by his aloofness, he'd spent the last two years sitting alone. Why change now?

"Yeah, I'm Robert Dixon." He finally returned, dumping his bag on the seat beside him. It hadn't mattered. The minute he'd replied it was all the permission Kasey needed to get friendly. She shoved his bag off the seat and put down her stuff. And the rest of Robert's year was spent missing being alone.

* * *

"Daddy." Kasey whined, sounding like a 6-year-old rather than the 27-year-old that she was. "This is so stupid."

Commander Green looked up, thoroughly embaressed by his daughter's behaviour. "Stop acting like a spoilt little brat Kasey Renee Green. This isn't the time or place for 'daddy'. Start acting your age."

Leading Seaman Green sat down across from her father quickly. Young, brunette and adequately pretty Kasey should've been the type of person who danced at bars until all hours of the night, but she'd grown up in a Navy family and thus had gone that way. And despite her random spoilt brat outbursts she was actually true Navy material. She could think on her feet, was unpeturbed by hard work and could hang out with the boys. But when it came to her father the little girl routine often got her what she wanted. It appeared now, however, that Michael Green had had enough. She got serious. "Dad this is stupid."

"Kasey, if you want this job you can play by Uncle Jonathon's rules."

Kasey sighed. Jonathon Rook, CO of the Armidale, had been her father's friend for years. It was probably why he got away with foolish games of what Kasey now referred to as 'CIS Survivor'. She'd known Lieutenant Commander Rook since she was a child and thought that applying for a position with him would be a shoe-in. Alas it wasn't to be. "It's not exactly Navy protocol though, is it?" She started questioning her father. It wasn't her best move.

"Young lady, when you run this base you can question it. Canberra don't have a problem with it. In fact they can appreciate how hard it is to find a reliable CIS, or anything else, that will be prepared to put in the long hours. Too many people join then realise they do like the nine to five jobs and stay on base for the rest of their lives."

"But I'm not one of those. You know that, I know that. So, why can't he just give the job to me?"

Commander Green sighed. "I have work to do Leading Seaman Green. If you have nothing better to do you can leave."

"It's my lunch break." Kasey defended herself. She sighed, knowing she wasn't getting anything else out of him. "Can I at least know who my enemy are?"

Without lifting his eyes her father drew a short list from his desk. Kasey scanned it then stopped on one name. Michael looked up when he realised she was holding her breath. "Kasey?"

Kasey dropped the list. "I might pull out, try for somewhere else."

Commander Green frowned. "What is it?" He looked at the list then realised what she'd seen. "This isn't the Robert you went to school with is it?"

Kasey nodded mutely, falling back into her chair. "I haven't seen him in almost 10 years." She sighed. "And that's not a bad thing." She bit her lip then dropped her head into her hands. "Gosh damned it."


	2. Reunions and Dances

Chapter Two;  
Reunions and Dances

Kasey was the only female figure standing on the docks that morning as the CO of the Armidale walked down from the ship. She'd had her headphones in her ear all morning, pointedly ignoring the dark-haired man at the other end of the group that kept glancing her. He'd even tried to say hello, to which Kasey had simply turned up her iPod so that all anyone could hear was the sound of Fallout Boy blaring out from her earpods. Now her ears were ringing, but at least he'd stopped trying to communicate with her.

It had been her father's secret desire to get his only daughter off base and away from him that had made her come. And by secret she meant he made it pretty bloody clear to her this morning when he basically kicked her out of work and ordered her to get down to the dock and join the others.

So here she was, having arrived ten minutes late, but wishing she wasn't.

She pulled out her headphones, tucking her iPod in her dress uniform pocket, as the Armidale CO, or a man she knew better as Unkie Jon, joined them on the dock with a smile. "Hello final four." He joked. Kasey lowered an eyebrow at him. She wasn't alone as the man next to her snorted and Robert pulled a face. "So, who do we have here anyway?" He dipped into his pocket and drew out a list. "Okay, Leading Seaman Wallis?" The large man next to Kasey stepped forward. The CO nodded at him. "Able Seaman Hart?" The man next to Robert stepped forward. "Leading Seaman Green?" Kasey stepped forward with a grin. He acted like he didn't know her. "And, Leading Seaman Dixon." He nodded at Robert then gave a grin. "And, if you aren't sure, I am Lieutenant Commander Jonathon Trent. For the next week you will be enduring my wrath as you struggle to prove yourself to me." He gave a cold smile. "And I can promise you that this will be no walk in the park. I need someone keen to work long hours, deal with my bad manners, work diligently on and off the ship including boarding parties and work well with my very close-knit crew." He chuckled at their faces and his cold smile wiped away. "I hope I'm not asking too much." The four of them glanced between themselves then looked back at Lieutenant Commander Trent. He waved back towards the Armidale. "So, who's ready to meet the crew?"

Slowly they followed him aboard.

* * *

"You!"

Standing at the kitchen bench, Holly Dixon turned with a chuckle. "Yes?" She said, failing to control the smile creeping onto her face.

"What did you say?" Robert demanded, his 12-year-old face contorting in anger.

His angry face failed to scare his elder sister. "Say? I don't recall 'say'ing anything." She grinned and batted her eyelids in an attempt at innocence, but in this she was nowhere near blameless.

Robert raised his hands in exasperation. "Holly!"

Holly just shrugged. "Technically…" She said, giving him a slight tip of her head, "I simply suggested that, maybe, you were going to ask her to the Year 6 Dance."

Robert frowned. "She attacked me at lunch time, telling me she was excited to go and that she was so happy she could now tell that cow Emily Parsons that she had a 'date' for the dance. A date Holly! A date!"

Holly turned away, going back to making her sandwich. "Well, were you going to ask her to go with you to the Year 6 Dance?"

"Yes, but as a friend, not as a 'date'. I don't do 'date'."

Shoving her sandwich in her mouth she turned back to her brother. Ripping the sandwich from her mouth she gave him a peanut butter-covered toothy grin. "There's a lot of things you don't 'do' little brother. Probably why it was Kasey that go you into oh, let's list them…" She dropped her sandwich on the bench and started counting on her fingers. "The soccer team, the debating team, the swim club, school captain elections and, oh, your group of friends. Face it Robert, without her… and me…" She framed her face with her hands in a 'ta da' motion. "You would be a lonely little sad sack, sitting at home every afternoon annoying me." She rolled her eyes. "Not that you aren't doing a great job of that right now." She muttered.

"Holly!" He protested again.

"Robert!" She returned in much the same voice. She grabbed her sandwich and her magazine. "Get a grip. It's just a dance. Just be thankful you didn't have to go with…" She shuddered. "Riley O'Rourke, the school creep." She shook away memories and feigned holding back vomit. "Now, run along Robert and go mope all over someone else. I have high school work to do." She disappeared, leaving Robert frowning at the mess of bread and open peanut butter jars she'd left on the bench. Cleaning up after her, Robert eventually went to find some of his own homework.

* * *

The Armidale was exactly like the Hammersley and so it didn't take RO long to find his way around, but three hours into the first day many of his competition mates were well and truly lost. Tank Wallis, whose last ship was the Coastal Survey vessel the Benalla, couldn't find the garbage room and Pelican Hart, who'd just finished a long stint with the Landing Craft Heavy the Labuan, lost his cabin after just 40 minutes aboard. As for Kasey, whether she was lost or not, she never let him know. In fact, only two hours into their time aboard, RO realised she was avoiding him. He didn't mind too much. He still wasn't sure what he'd say to her now anyway. Did 'hello' suffice after all this time?

His first shift with the Armidale not set to start until well after the ship left port, Robert found himself wandering the halls looking for something to do and someone to meet while still trying to get Kasey out of his head.

Seeing her on the dock that morning hadn't been a surprise, he'd known she was going to be there, but still there was the fact he hadn't seen her since they were 18 that made things hard. It had been 10 years, and like him she had changed, but he'd never expected so much. She'd always been pretty, but now there was something about seeing her in full uniform that made RO frown at himself. The way she held herself and the fact she had a pen stuck in her ponytail had almost made him smile when he'd first seen her. She wasn't the Kasey he remembered from high school. But then, he wasn't exactly like how he'd been back then either. He just wished he could talk to her, see what life was like for her now. The problem was… she was avoiding him.

He didn't blame her. Their past hadn't been peachy. It had started okay, with Robert wishing she'd left him alone and Kasey determined to make Robert more of a 'people person', a job she eventually gave up on in their second year of high school. They'd even attended two school dances together; the first one by Kasey's hand but the second was, though he would never admit openly, his idea. It had all gone wrong though in their last year at high school when Kasey had openly announced that she was following in her father's footsteps and joining the Navy. Robert, who'd had the idea of joining planted in his head for a while now, had taken it badly for some reason. He'd announced that he did not, under any circumstances, want to attend recruit school with her and that she should take a year off to think about it. Hurt, she had avoided him until the day he left Sydney bound for Melbourne and Hastings recruit school. She'd been at the airport, hiding in the background and pretending she wasn't there. He hadn't spoken to her. Later Holly would inform him that she had taken her university offer and gone to Sydney Uni doing Media Writing. After that she'd fallen out of contact with Holly. And then a letter and it seemed she'd taken up recruit school after all. They'd become friends again. Until…

RO sighed, rounding the corner before he hit the stairs that took him to the bridge. That day when everything had gone wrong for them. He hadn't spoken to her since. He'd tried to put it in the past and forget about it. But now, here she was, coming down the stairs towards him. RO stopped. Coming down the stairs towards him? His eyes widened as he realised she wasn't a mirage and was actually walking towards him.

"Kasey."

She raised her head and lifted her eyes from the floor, finally seeing him. Her eyes widened, shocked that she'd allowed herself to run into him, and then she gave him a quick nod. "Robert." She tried to continue past but he stood in front of her.

"Kasey?" She sighed, beaten. "Can we talk?" He asked.

Biting her lip she eventually nodded. "Okay, let's talk."


End file.
